Chapter 265: Again Challenging the Heaven-Reaching Tower

Several days later, Wang Ping returned to the Ninth Dao Institute.

The towering mountain gate remained imposing; amidst swirling clouds and mist, countless halls and pavilions appeared and disappeared, and the rich spiritual qi of heaven and earth rushed over him, invigorating the spirit of Wang Ping, who had just returned from the Barbarian Wasteland Mountains.

He did not linger at all, heading straight to the Mission Hall.

Inside the Mission Hall, people came and went as usual, the place bustling with noise.

Disciples of various grades shuttle back and forth, handing in tasks, exchanging resources, and discussing recent events.

Wang Ping's arrival did not attract much attention; he went straight to the counter responsible for Golden Core stage task handover.

The steward behind the counter was a stern-faced middle-aged cultivator with mid Golden Core cultivation, currently looking down at a jade slip. Sensing someone approach, he raised his head without looking up and asked, 'Handing in a task? Identity jade token, task proof.'

Wang Ping placed his identity jade token and the piece of deep crimson flame stone he had obtained from Flame Valley on the counter.

'Gathering deep crimson flame stone task...' The steward habitually picked up the jade token and stone, but when his finger touched the deep crimson flame stone, his motion abruptly halted.

He suddenly lifted his head, a flash of disbelief in his eyes, and examined the stone in his hand closely.

The stone was only fist-sized, warm and smooth to the touch, yet inside it seemed to harbor a volcano about to erupt, its surging and pure fire-element spiritual power almost bursting through the stone.

What drew even more attention were the several deep crimson veins naturally formed on the stone, winding like blood vessels, exuding a hint of ancient, scorching earth-pulse aura.

'This... this is deep crimson flame stone? The supreme grade that only exists in the core region!'

The middle-aged steward's voice involuntarily rose a few degrees, drawing sideways glances from several nearby disciples who were in the midst of handing in tasks.

'It really is deep crimson flame stone!'

'The core region of Flame Valley? Isn't that a place even Nascent Soul cultivators dare not easily tread?'

'He's just a late Golden Core cultivator... how did he obtain it?'

Whispers immediately sprang up, and gazes converged on Wang Ping and the stone in his hand.

The middle-aged steward took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, looked at Wang Ping, and spoke with a hint of astonishment:

'Senior Brother Wang Ping, this deep crimson flame stone is of extremely high quality, undoubtedly from the core region of Flame Valley. According to the rules, for such quality, the task reward must be increased by ten percent.'

'I don't know whether Senior Brother wants points, or to directly exchange points for spirit crystal points here!'

Wang Ping directly chose to exchange for spirit crystals; after his battle with the evil god, his spirit crystals had been exhausted, so he needed to replenish some.

The middle-aged steward nodded, tapped a few times on the light screen before him, gestured for Wang Ping to wait a moment, after a while, and then sent a private voice transmission:

'Senior Brother Wang Ping, as far as I know, with your cultivation, venturing into the core region of Flame Valley entails enormous risk.'

His meaning was clear: he suspected Wang Ping's stone had an illegitimate source, possibly a gift from someone else, or obtained through other means not in accordance with the institute's rules.

After all, for a late Golden Core cultivator to single-handedly complete such an extremely difficult gathering task and produce evidence from the core region is truly unfathomable.

Wang Ping frowned slightly; he himself has not... but as a disciple of the institute head, such doubts should be dispelled early; it seems time to challenge the Heaven-Reaching Tower again.

Last time he failed at the fifth level; this time he should be able to pass the sixth level. The Heaven-Reaching Tower gets harder the further up, and clearing the seventh level grants the ability to withstand two or three rounds against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The eighth level even allows one to resist and even defeat an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator; as for the ninth level, it is a monument that the institute has stood for countless years.

Clearing the ninth level grants the ability to slay an early Nascent Soul cultivator; such battle prowess is so rare that even the Twelve Major Hegemon Clans produce only a few in ten thousand years.

After receiving the jade token, Wang Ping turned and left the Mission Hall. Behind him lingered a stifled exclamation and countless complex, unfathomable gazes.

The commotion caused by Wang Ping was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples spreading rapidly.

As for him personally, he headed straight for another landmark of the institute—the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

The Heaven-Reaching Tower, towering into the clouds, is built entirely of unknown bluish-gray giant stones; its body is covered with mysterious runes, exuding an ancient and imposing aura.

Wang Ping came here for three reasons: first, to gain fame or prove his strength; second, he hopes to temper his combat skills through battle, consolidating the newly broken-through Point Spirit Realm techniques; third, to obtain the generous reward for successfully clearing the tower.

His arrival again drew attention. After all, he had just risen to prominence in the Mission Hall, and many interested parties were monitoring his movements.

'Look quickly, it's that Wang Ping!'

'Is he going to challenge the Heaven-Reaching Tower?'

'I heard he just returned from Flame Valley, his strength greatly increased; perhaps he can reach the sixth level!'

Amidst the discussion, he stepped into the entrance of the Heaven-Reaching Tower where light halos flowed and shifted.

Inside the tower forms its own space. Wang Ping directly started from the fifth level, where the difficulty suddenly increased!

The space shifted, and Wang Ping found himself beneath a vast starry sky. Three figures clad in starry Dao robes, with blurred faces, coalesced forth, their auras unmistakably peak late Golden Core!

On the left, one figure's spiritual power surged like a tide, drawing upon stellar force to transform into heavy pillars of starlight that crashed down! This is a pure crushing of cultivation and spiritual power quality.

On the right, one figure flickered, his fingertips speckled with starlight; countless needle-thin starlight rays silently stabbed at Wang Ping's vital points all over his body, crafty and vicious, testing the precision of spiritual power control and defense.

In the center, one figure with the heaviest aura threw a punch; his fist condensed like a real meteorite, carrying an unstoppable destructive momentum, smashing forward head-on! This is the ultimate manifestation of spiritual power burst and strength.

These three opponents, respectively testing profound spiritual power, exquisite control, and explosive ferocity, comprehensively examine the cultivator's foundation who challenges the tower.

Wang Ping's gaze narrowed; the five-colored divine light behind him finally lit up. He did not choose to meet force with force, but instead drove the five-colored divine light to the extreme—red, yellow, white, black, and green light flowing ceaselessly, forming a perfect cycle.

Facing the starlight pillars, the heavy yellow divine light (earth) transformed into a mountain phantom, steadily receiving and dispersing them;

Facing the starlight rays, the sharp white divine light (metal) turned into countless fine sword qi, precisely colliding and annihilating them;

Facing the meteorite fist, the blazing red divine light (fire) intertwined with the supple black divine light (water), balancing hardness and softness, layer by layer dissolving and deflecting its force;

He, through the five elements' cyclical, endless way, turned the opponents' violent attacks completely into nothing. No matter how the enemy's assault raged like a violent storm, I remain unmoving. Finally, he seized the tiny gap in the opponents' spiritual power connection; the five-colored divine light suddenly merged, becoming a chaotic-hued silk sash that swept out horizontally, simultaneously shattering the three starry figures.

Fourth level, passed! Outside the tower, the light dot representing Wang Ping's name steadily lit at the position of the fifth level.

Fifth level: Soul Battle

The environment shifted again; Wang Ping found himself in an endless blood-colored desert, wild winds sweeping sand and gravel, emitting wails like ghosts and gods howling. Three figures of varying forms, with yin-cold auras, appeared.